Titles and Nicknames as Novel Sources in Tracing History of Islam: A Case Study of Abu Turab

Titles and nicknames, as well as aiding to recognize individuals, can act as significant sources for studying intellectual, political, and religious trends. The philosophy of nomination; its background and social consequences, its historical transformations and the status of those carrying the titles and their affiliates and advocates are all aspects whose investigation can reveal significant historical findings. Studying such titles, while benefiting from other sciences like genealogy, biographical evaluation, gnosis, morality, and exegesis can further expand such propositions. Abu Turab, as the title initially attributed to Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (A), is one of the titles yielding various mental, political, social, and mystical conceptions at different historical eras. It can thus prove effective in analyzing history of Islam and Shi’ism. While studying the conceptual and historical changes to the tile—Abu Turab—the present study draws the attention of researchers to implications of titles and nicknames in historical studies.